My McQueens Wedding: Charlotte & Joe

Charlotte and Joe Fogel got married at Grosvenor Chapel in June 2016 and had a dream wedding reception at Claridge’s in Mayfair. Creating flowers for a wedding is quite an undertaking, and the process starts a long time before the actual wedding. One thing we really like is getting to know our clients over that period of time with meetings, proposals, sample viewings and a fair few emails before the big day. No two weddings are ever the same, and that’s one of the reasons why we love doing these events – everyone comes to us with a very different take on their wedding flowers. Some don’t know where to begin and are receptive to help and ideas; others – like Charlotte – have a very clear idea of exactly what they would like for their big day.

‘It’s a pleasure to work with people that place so much importance on wedding flowers,’ explains McQueens florist Vanessa Penston. ‘Charlotte explained exactly the look she was after right from the word go. I loved her ideas, and I completely understood the brief; old-school glamour and sophistication is perfect for a wedding at Claridge’s. I was so pleased with everything on the day of the wedding, especially the bridal bouquet, but seeing the bouquet with Charlotte in her amazing dress – well, it looked even better!’

‘Finding the right florist for our wedding was paramount,’ explains Charlotte, ‘and we spent a VERY long time researching and eventually obtaining quotes from ten different florists before making our final decision. As we were having the wedding reception in the Drawing Room and French Salon at Claridge’s, we wanted incredible flowers that matched the opulence of the rooms and the venue. Vanessa Penston was our florist and she was an absolute pleasure to work with – she listened to our requirements and went out of her way to ensure we had the most incredible flowers on our wedding day – in fact, the flowers exceeded our expectations. We chose McQueens based on the quality of their innovative displays in hotels, such as Claridge’s and the Connaught, their outstanding reputation, and the whole McQueens experience. We had the opportunity to view samples prior to our wedding day and although they were still very beautiful, the flowers on our actual wedding day literally blew us and our guests away. We simply couldn’t stop admiring them – they were quite literally like something out of a fairytale!’